Faar

Insatiable generated so much controversy that I felt obligated to watch it myself before I could form a sound opinion. Moreover, the premise as it was marketed secretly appealed to me: which victim of bullying would not like to take revenge on his/hers tormenters?

The professional critics teared this show apart, while the general public seems to like it. With such polarizing views, I felled compelled to write a review myself. There are a lot of angles to take, but I took the one of the viewer at home who simple desires a watchable show. I'll skip the ethical discussions, because these are already extensively discussed by the critics. I asked myself: did I enjoy watching it, would I watch it again and would I desire a second season? Let's start with the positive points.

First and foremost: Insatiable came across as simple entertainment. A mixture of jokes, stereotypes, satire and some compelling character interactions keeps you watching. Not every show has to be worthy of an Emmy. This show is there to simply entertain the audience. Also, in my view Insatiable is NOT about fatshaming, which was one of the major critics. It seems closer to figuring out who you are and why you are the person that you are. I think it is brave of the creator's to touch upon some heavy subjects. The execution is questionable, but give them credits. for getting out of a comfort zone.The acting is pretty good, especially from the main character Bob and the side character Nonny. And finally, in the later episodes there are some tense and dramatic moments that actually moved me.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of negative points as well. For starters: most of the characters are not likable. It is a big bunch of backstabbers, making it hard to root for any of them. Exceptions are Nonny and also Bob, although he does some questionable things as well. There are even characters who do not serve the plot at all, except for being an annoying obstacle that have to be tackled. Most blatant examples are Regina and her daughter Dixie, who continuously go out of their way to sabotage Patty and/or Bob, but serve no other purpose.

And while there are some interesting arcs, they are often introduced out of nowhere and getting dropped again very fast, almost resetting character developments. This makes it difficult to discover a general message and a coherent story-line.

Insatiable missed major opportunities. We don't get to see how Patty was while she was fat, so it is hard to judge whether her character changed after she lost weight, either for better or worse. Furthermore, as a viewer, you would like to get some satisfaction. But no (life) lessons are learned by most characters, 'victories' or breakthroughs are immediately nullified because of a convoluted plot-twist and backstabbing characters get away with as much as a slap on the wrist. And finally, the finale is completely out of tone with the rest of the show and leaves us with an cliff-hanger which I honestly don't know what to make of it.

So did I enjoy watching it? Certainly in the earlier episodes, but during the course of the show the many flaws bothered me more and more. Would I watch it again? No. It was watchable for one time, but that was it. Would I desire a second season? Maybe. The cliff-hanger didn't leave me wanting for more, but if the creators would get this show in a direction that appeals to me more I would give it a shot.

You should take Insatiable at face-value: an entertaining show that in some way satires modern society. It is some sort of guilty pleasure that is still watchable if you are not bothered by the many flaws this show has.

This movie is the adaptation of the book which was my favorite when I was in high school. 'Spijt' was really intense and involving. It was a book written from the perspective of David, a high school student. He witnesses how his overweight classmate (Jochem) is constantly bullied by three classmates. David wants to help the Jochem, but just as his other classmates he is afraid he will receive the same treatment from the bullies. I was always waiting for when they would make a movie about this book. So I was really happy and curious when this became a fact this year.

I'm satisfied with the final result. The acting is solid. More often than not, this is over-the-top in Dutch movies. I like how they developed the character of the major bully. The side-stories from the book are toned down, so the focus stays on the bullying. This resulted also in some deviations from the book, but they didn't bother me. The movie succeeds in being true to the source while embracing the new medium.

There are some flaws though. The movie starts a bit slow and some characters and stories from the book could have been explored more, since they affect the major story line. However, the movie really picks up in the final act, after a dramatic event, after which everything is done right. Furthermore, I suspect that some changes are made compared to the book just for the sake of including some actors in the movie, like Voice Kids winner Fabienne Bergmans. Also, the bullying sometimes seems a bit unrealistic, since the victim is a pretty large guy, who could easily overpower his bullies. Moreover, modern ways of bullying like using social media are not explored.

Even so, the result is still a decent movie. The movie meets its goals. It appeals to its audience and delivers awareness around bullying. The movie is actually part of campaign against bullying. I recommend this movie to fans of the book and to people who have not read the book as well.